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King Vanargand
General: Vanargand is the neutral evil former King of the frost giants and former supreme ruler of the arctic northlands known as Fenrir's Maw. He is the father of Vornir, who ultimately became his successor along with his queen, Vera. He has since returned to his home plane of Niflheim to live out his days with the rest of the true Jotun. Appearance: Vanargand was described by Daleth as resembling a huge idol, carved from a massive block of ancient ice that had never known warmth. Well muscled, clad head to toe in bone white armor about which wisps of snow circled, his features are stern and strong with a beard of icicles and a crown resembling jagged mountain peaks. His eyes, a deep crimson, were all that revealed him to be a living creature. He had sat for so long upon his frozen throne that he almost appeared to have become one with it. Personality: Vanargand demanded subservience from all whom he encountered. He was confident in his power and his status as a regional power and tolerates no disrespect. He, until recently, considered his son to be a scrawny, sniveling weakling unworthy of inheriting his clan and constantly berated him. Vanargand also appeared to be constantly bored by his duties and dictates most of the duties of running his kingdom to his subordinates. His name alone, after all, was enough to freeze the blood of most potential foes in fear. He was also easily annoyed and own his servants seemed fearful of provoking his wrath. He once executed one of his scouts for failing to recapture Vera, blaming his weakness for the frost giant's defeat during Ragnarok and using his death as an example to his other minions. Failure and weakness were not to be tolerated. Upon seeing his son's powered up form, he seemed willing to grant him another chance to prove himself. After his army's defeat and the death of his son, he considered going out with a defiant last stand. But, ultimately, he placed the survival of his race above his own pride and surrendered, asking for mercy for his people. Vanargand is now a somber, defeated figure who knows that his people will never again achieve greatness in his lifetime. He has agreed to an alliance with the very Illuminators he sought to destroy with the hopes of saving his people from the imminent attack from Fafnir. In the battle against Loki's armies, Vanargand demonstrated bravery and self-sacrifice, throwing himself into the hordes of Loki's slaughter wights to smash open the gates of the palace so the party could get in to face him. Abilities: Vanargand has been shown to be capable of lifting another Frost Giant off the ground by the throat with one hand. He then hurled him far enough to fall upon the spires atop his castle. However, his true power was not shown until the battle of Mournwood Forest. There, he overpowered Haborym along with eight gold pin guild members and later Daleth and Haborym fighting him at the same time. After Lord Thalon took control of his undead dire mammoth, he was able to catch it by the horns, lift it over his head and hurl it to crush the sorcerer. He has fast healing and spell resistance in addition to his tremendous strength and survived being shot by hundreds of arrows after he was surrounded at the end of the battle. This, however, was enough to ultimately prompt his surrender. Vanargand was strong enough to survive multiple attacks from life-draining slaughter wights but it left him weakened enough where Klaus could defeat him. Weaknesses: Vanargand shares the weakness of most Frost Giants to fire. He was extremely lazy at first, seeing most matters as beneath his attention. Even the defeat of Tamamo No Mae and the loss of his hostage Klaus didn't seem to be too great a concern. He was more concerned about restoring his family's honor by massing his armies to crush the Illuminator Guild. When the party began causing chaos in his kingdom, he was quick to blame his son and everyone else around him for failing to stop them while he stood around complaining with his arms folded. He wanted his son to prove himself and allowed Vornir, in his anger and arrogance, to make several tactical errors with the army that ultimately led to his son's death and his army's demoralization and defeat. However, when the fire of battle was awakened within him, he proved himself to be a fierce and brave warrior willing to put his life on the line for a greater purpose. Goals: Vanargand arranged for a "cultist of Loki" to bear his seed and then for his son Vornir to be infused with the blood of Jörmungandr, whose corpse was found in the arctic ocean that borders his kingdom. He seems to share his son's goals of plunging the world into a second ice age and dominating all other forms of life. However, he was initially unconvinced that his son would be able to achieve this lofty aim. He allowed Vornir and Tamamo No Mae to attempt their little plots and meanwhile focused on consolidating his kingdom's power by conquering and subjugating all other tribes or peoples in the area. However, after the party defeated Tamamo No Mae and caused chaos in his kingdom, he was resolved to utterly crush the Illuminator Guild for having the audacity to challenge him. He seemed impressed enough by his son's powered up form to reconsider the possibility of him being a worthy heir. However, he wanted to see him prove it by killing Daleth, the man who made him retreat earlier. He has rallied his entire army, leaving only a skeleton force behind to defend the women, children and elders in his castle. Vornir did not intend to stop until he had slaughtered everything in Mournwood forest and every last Illuminator is dead and Vanargand considered conquering the southern lands while he was there. After his son's death and the defeat of his army, he was convinced to swallow his pride and join with the guild that spared him and his people in defending against the coming threat of Fafnir. He later joined the guild in fighting Loki's armies, believing him to be a threat to the whole world including his people. He was convinced that Loki had manipulated him and his ancestors and that his reincarnation didn't care for them. After that battle, he passed the torch of rulership to his son. Now, Vanargand simply wishes to retire in peace on his home plane. History: Vanargand is a native of Niflheim and participated in the battle of Ragnarok as a young adult. He spent most of his adult life re-uniting the Frost Giants who scattered into the arctic wastes after their defeat in that famous battle. Once they were able to regroup, they set to conquering other neighboring peoples. Packs of winter wolves have joined him willingly and several neanderthal tribes have been subjugated by him and transformed into his military arm. Rikka's tribe of kobolds was enslaved by his son Vornir and put to work as miners and craftsmen. He also bribed and intimidated ogres into serving him as enforcers, keeping the kobolds in line. At some point, Tamamo No Mae took notice of his power and decided to offer her aid to Vanargand as an advisor. It is she who arranged for Vornir's birth. Recently, one of his scouts returned empty handed after failing to reclaim Vera. His foot had been badly injured by a summoned wolf and others (the party) who were aiding Vera slipped through his grasp. Vanargand hoisted him up by the throat using one hand and informed him that it was "weaklings like you" that allowed the Frost Giants to be defeated during Ragnarok. He then hurled his subordinate up onto icy spires of his palace. His death was used as motivation to encourage the rest of his forces to not fail in finding the interlopers which they believed to be somewhere out on the icy tundra. Vanargand didn't seem too bothered by the defeat of Tamamo No Mae after her failed attempt to kill the foreign agents in his kingdom. Even the loss of Klaus and Vera was not as much of a concern now that his son might actually be strong enough to inherit his kingdom. However, he was still quick to blame and berate his son and his guards when those agents (the party) managed to (mercy) kill an Illuminator Guild member that he had taken prisoner and burn his boats before escaping undetected. Vornir had planned to extract information from her to learn the Illuminator Guild's strengths and weaknesses. Vanargand believed his dominance had been challenged and so his wrath had awakened. Even without the information from the prisoner, he was going to war. He and his son rode upon the back of an undead dire mammoth, marching among 10,000 neanderthal warrriors, normal sized mammoths outfitted with armor and spines on their tusks, ogres, trained, armored war polar bears, and packs of winter wolves. His ogres played drums and brass horns to announce the march of his forces. The entire north trembled as his armies marched. Not since Ragnarok has such a terrifying force been marshaled. However, his army was ultimately defeated in Mournwood Forest thanks to Adam and Ren convincing a large portion of the Neanderthals to defect, believing them to be their gods returned. Later, Momjji poisoned the army's water supply and further weakened his force. Vornir's abuses further demoralized them and although Vanargand's tactics were sound the army's spirits were broken with the death of Vornir. They were then surrounded and outmatched with Daleth returning with reinforcements from the defecting Neanderthals. Although Vanargand was able to overpower even the strongest guild members when they challenged him, he was ultimately defeated by sheer attrition and a hail of hundreds of arrows. Vanargand surrendered when the party agreed to spare his people. He then burned his son's body, realizing that his line had ended with him. Vanargand was intent to return to Icefang Keep in disgrace and save whatever was left of his people when he was told of the threat of Fafnir. The dragon would destroy them if they did not ally with the very guild they had just attacked and combine their resources to mount a defense. Under Vanargand's suggestion, ballista were built throughout the forest to try to bring down the great wyrm. However, the party was able to break Fafnir's curse so that this battle did not occur. Vanargand instead joined the guild in battling Loki's forces in the Astral Plane. With his great strength, he took a battering ram and smashed open the enchanted gates of Vlaakith's palace - tanking attacks from the slaughter wights defending it. The party was able to get inside and face Loki, ultimately ending the war, because of him. But, the battle left him and Vornir weakened and drained. In the aftermath, Klaus suddenly realized he was stronger than Vanargand. He took the opportunity to beat down the weakened Jotun King and refuse Vornir taking Vera's hand. Vera ultimately convinced him to spare them both and proclaimed her love for Vornir. This cost her the love of her father, who flew away to some unknown part of the world. Vanargand accepted Vornir and Vera's union, respecting her power, and realizing that the true Jotun bloodline had ended anyway. Ultimately, Vanargand took the rainbow bridge to go back to Niflheim to live out his days on his home plane.